I’m finally able to walk again after having surgery on both my feet this past November. Being stuck in the house is no fun at all during the winter months especially when you think it is the best time of year to photograph. So it has been a long winter so far in that I haven’t been able to enjoy it until recently. With the recent record breaking snowfalls of over 100 cm in the Ottawa area and yesterday’s mild temperatures it made it a great day to head out with a friend to Perth, Ontario otherwise known as the prettiest town in Ontario. Danielle and I made our way there for the day and she graciously allowed me to try out her Mitakon 50mm .95 lens which I used for the in town photographs. Here are some of my favourites from our outing. Hope you enjoy.

Art depends on there being affection in its creator’s life, and an artist must find ways, like everyone else, to nourish it. A photographer down on his knees picturing a dog has found pleasure enough to make many things possible.

I admit moving back to my hometown in Ottawa has been a bit of a challenge to stay inspired photographically anyway. However, last week I had the opportunity to visit Perth: a small town east of Ottawa. I was struck how quaint and pretty it was. Except for the architecture, it reminded me a bit of Yellowknife. I especially want to return at the beginning of winter...

My favourite photo at this moment is A Winter’s Night by me. It is a photograph I took one night around 11 pm in mid-November. The ice had just frozen over and people were beginning to walk on it. I was unsure of whether or not I should venture out to capture the scene but I noticed a truck parked on the ice so it couldn’t be too bad. I was alone with the exception of a fox that crossed my path. I love the darkness with a glimpse of light streaming through what seems to be an opening in the clouds, the storyline of traces of human life and community in barren and cold conditions. And I especially love the stillness and mystery that it evokes. I currently have it hanging in my living room.

2.) Favourite inspirational quote about photography (or life in general)?

I have two favourite quotes:

“Work is love made visible” by Kahlil Gibran

And

“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” Ralph Hattersly

3.) Favorite book – by whom and why?

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis. I loved this book because it is a story about 15 dogs who received the gift of human consciousness from two gods on a bet. The bet was that dogs would be even more unhappy than humans are if they were given human consciousness. It was my favourite read because I love dogs of course and I like to think about these things i.e. what constitutes a good life and how one should achieve happiness and meaning in life. Also, one of the key canine protagonists Majnoun reminds me of my 10-year-old Golden Doodle named Saydee.

4.) Favorite photographer – why?

Yousef Karsh - As you know, I have already mentioned how much I like the work of Annie Leibowitz however, I thought I should also mention a Canadian master portrait photographer who happens to be from my hometown in Ottawa, Canada. His portrait of Winston Churchill is masterful. I’ve seen an original print of it in the Speakers Chamber in the House of Commons and it is arresting. He had an uncanny ability to know and connect with his subjects in a way that is congruent with their story. He has photographed some of the great personalities of the 20th century: Queen Elizabeth, Einstein, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Picasso and others.

5.) One contemporary photographer, you’ve recently discovered?

David Burdeny… I love his colourful medium format aerial work. He makes gorgeous very large prints.

6.) Favorite photography gadget?

I love my Peak Design Slide strap. It enables me to switch cameras effortlessly as well as distribute the weight around my shoulders.

7.) The favorite song when traveling / for the road? Why? —>

The new rendition of Paul Simon’s classic: The Sound of Silence by American rock band: Disturbed. He sings it with such passion and the song’s lyrics really resonate with me. Actually, it might be a good theme song for my favourite picture.

8.) What’s in your camera bag?

I have both the Fujifilm XH1 and XT2, cameras along with several Fujifilm lenses: XF16MM, XF23F2, XF35F2, XF56APD, XF10-24, XF16-55 and the XF50-140. I also have a Fujifilm EF500 flash as well as a Godox V860II Flash.

It is supposed to be spring. I must admit the weather here in Ottawa is leaving a little bit to be desired. It is going up and down like a yo-yo. At the end of February it was positively balmy and now that it is mid April we have been getting snow and freezing rain. In Yellowknife, it is predictably freezing cold for much of the year. But with a good coat and a pair of mukluks, you are pretty well set for venturing outdoors.

Today it was so crappy I could barely take Saydee for a walk. Schools were closed, power lines and tree branches were down and many homes were without power. I literally had to drop my poochie off at the park and waited by - no hung on to the car as the wind was gusting at about 60km hour. I did, however, think it was beautiful. The trees were all glistening with ice as were the roads. A good day for a photo shoot then. So off we went in search of beauty amidst the chaos.

I probably could have used Fuji's new XH1 with in body image stabilization as I wasn't too sure on my feet.

Following our trip to Ottawa we decided that it would be a good time to visit the Rockies one more time as they were only a two-day drive away or 22 hours if you drive straight through which is what we did on the return. If you are interested in reading more about Jasper, you can do so via this link.

I know I am late. My father used to tell me that I would be late for my own funeral. And I'm ok with that. It is just that I've been conflicted about where to start and what to write about. I mean I've taken over 12,000 photos this year and have photographed everything from frozen landscapes, northern lights, portraits of northerners, an International Environment Commission, the Premier and Members of the Legislative Assembly for Yellowknife, a First Nation Dene Wedding, trips to Jamaica, Jasper and another 10 day drive back across the country not to mention my poochie.

We pushed off our annual outing of going to get our Christmas tree until the snow came. It just didn't seem right otherwise. Here it is almost mid-December and finally, we got a couple of centimetres of snow last night. So today was the day.

We decided to go to the Fallowfield Tree farm. We had been there three years before - the year before traveling to Yellowknife. It was a mild -3C so given that we are used to -30C at this time of year, that was no big deal. I was looking forward to photographing the typical Canadian winter scene of hay rides, Christmas trees, goats and horses. Since I still have Fuji's medium format camera I wanted to try it out at the tree farm.

So here are some favourites from the day.

Fallowfield Tree Farm

Haven't we met before?

Not sure.

It was definitely you.

Wagon Ride

Treat

Our tree!

Yes that will do.

It is so much prettier with a bit of white snow.

Good husband trimming the tree.

Another group passing by

Et voila.

Cozy wagon ride

And the horses.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sites, but the queerest they ever did see was that night on the marge of Lake LaBarge I cremated Sam McGee.

— Robert Service

Exploring our new home

We set up in the Explorer Hotel while looking for a place to live. We quickly learned that it would not be business as usual and that Yellowknife has its own pace. We would be staying in the hotel for 42 nights.

Despite the cool weather for autumn, we found the people to be very warm and hospitable.

LOOKING FOR A HOME

The architecture was certainly interesting with its rustic and artsy vibe. It is very different from Barrhaven! There seem to be a lot of artists in town as even the garbage dumpsters are artfully painted with colourful northern scenes.

HIKING

Having a dog in Yellowknife is a very good thing. It forces you to get outside and makes it very easy to meet people and make new friends. Saydee and I spent many afternoons hiking at the Fred Henney Territorial Campground.

THE STREET DURING RUSH HOUR

One early morning after dropping Eddie off at work, I decided to get out briefly for a walk and do some street photography. Given that it was -21C there didn’t seem to be too many people out.

FROZEN

“You’re going to need a new coat!” a friend advised. A Canada Goose Parka is not a fashion statement here but absolutely essential for survival when the temperature dips down to -40C.

NO SNIVELING AND FINE DINING

Bullocks Bistro, with its wild northwest vibe is one of the most interesting places to dine while in Yellowknife. There you will find lots of warnings that snivelling will not be tolerated while you wait for your dinner which happened to have been fished out of the lake across the street just a few hours before. However, you are invited to carve out your name on the counter and or leave your business card or Fuji Instax print on the wall. It is a unique dining experience and the fish is amazing!

SILENT NIGHT

With the sun setting at 3:15 pm at winter solstice, the nights are long and dark in Yellowknife during the winter.

SHORT DAYS

And the days are short. One morning Saydee and I ventured to the top of Pilot’s Monument to greet the sunrise at 10:15 am.

ARCTIC LIGHT

There is something very mystical about the quality of light here in the Arctic. You will see colours that will literally stop you in your tracks as you will probably have never seen anything quite like it before. Not sure exactly why… is it due to the lack of pollution or is it due to the angle of the sun which never really rises above the horizon?

WINTER FUN

With a good coat you can pretty much enjoy the winter. There is much to do here from driving on the Ice road to Dettah, a Dene first nation community on the other side of the lake, to chartering an aircraft for a tour, snowshoeing, skijoring - a blend of cross country skiing with your dog, dogsledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing and of course plenty to photograph!

HOUSEBOATS ON YELLOWKNIFE BAY

There is a small community of folks who have decided to rough it out on a houseboat on Yellowknife Bay where one doesn’t have to pay any municipal taxes and where one can enjoy the most amazing sunrises and sunsets not to mention the tranquility of actually living on the water. When the lake freezes over in the winter you can drive right up to the front door. Spring and fall can be a bit tricky because the ice is neither frozen solid enough for a car and too patchy for a canoe or a boat. If you would like to try it, some are available as Bed and Breakfast’s via Airbnb.

THE AURORA

From mid October through to almost the end of December, the skies were overcast and grey for almost the entire time. It also snowed a little bit each day but never enough to block you in like it does down south. Anyway, the skies would not be clear enough to see the aurora until Great Slave Lake completely froze over. I’m kind of glad we arrived during this time so that I could explore the day to day beauty of the north. But oh my …. to see the Aurora that first time was magical! They were directly overhead and quite strong. Yellowknife boasts that it is the best place in the world to see the Aurora Borealis.

I thought they were kind of interesting in black and white.

LOOKING FOR WILDLIFE

Equipped with Fuji’s new 1.4x Teleconverter and 100-400mm lens, we set out down the highway past Behchokǫ̀ looking for wildlife.

And of course there are plenty of Ravens to practice your tracking capabilities.

THE SNOWCASTLE AND LONG JOHN JAMBOREE

On March 1st, the 20th annual Snowking Winter Festival opened along with the Snowcastle - a huge fort made from the ice and snow of Great Slave Lake. Construction begins in November with the harvesting of Ice slabs that will form the windows of the building. It has become the venue in town during the month of March for everything from music to fashion shows. It coincides with the Long John Jamboree at the end of the Month where Yellowknife's’ gather to celebrate the end of winter.

BALANCE

Every year at the end of March Yellowknife’s gather around a large wooden structure that they would burn to mark the end of winter. This year’s theme was about Balance. We were invited to reflect on what we were balancing in our own lives.

Burn on the Bay

THE MELT

And finally the ice begins to break up in April. People who have lived here a long time and are familiar with the ice conditions would still venture out to do some ice fishing. Where else can you venture out onto a major lake, one of the largest in Canada from downtown and go ice fishing? It’s the lifestyle that keeps many people here.

All photos taken with Fujifilm XT1, XF lenses including XF16-55, XF16, XF10-24, XF35, XF50-140, XF100-400. Special thanks to Fujifilm North America for all their support.

Yesterday at 12 noon, the Snowking: Tony'unveiled' or more specifically carved the front door out of his massive Snowcastle and warmly invited people in. Each year the Snowcastle is somehow improved from the year before and this year's Snowcastle is apparently the biggest ever in the 21 year history of building Snowcastles. There are slides for children, a courtyard and a Grand ballroom of sorts. There is an ice bar and VIP lounge. Hot Chocolate will be served. For the month of March the Snowcastle will set the stage for a variety of artists, songwriters and bands. Here are some photos from yesterday's opening ceremony.

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I was fortunate to attend Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky’s new Exhibition: Anthropocene at the National Gallery of Canada. Anthropocene is proposed as a new geological epoch, “defined by massive changes that has occurred to the planet and its ecosystems as a result of human activity.”